Why I Don't Put the Garden to Bed in Winter | Year Round Gardening

[@sandram5664]

I started winter gardening about 4 years ago and find it more interesting than summer gardening (also more relaxing 😉). Being in zone 6a Pennsylvania I don’t have as many options as in your climate, but just yesterday I put a row cover over my overwintering sweet onions and my Musselburgh leeks. Today I’ll be picking some Winterbor kale and then some lettuce, carrots and beets from my cold frame. Thanks for highlighting what can still be done, Liz.

[@do4699]

I feel like the need to put the garden to bed is very much driven by your local climate. When I lived in a more mild climate, much like you I didn't put the garden to bed. I would occasionally overwinter brassicas and other cold hardy plants. However now living in the colder, snowy, mountainous west in the US, putting the garden to bed is hugely helpful. It protects plants from the deep cold (-25 C) and heavy snows (1 meter+), reduces debris and plants the would rot in the spring, and decreases weed pressure in the spring.

[@LizZorab]

Absolutely! It makes complete sense to put the garden to bed in your climate, likewise it makes no sense (at least to me) to do so here in our oceanic temperate climate.

[@TheGreenPond-nature]

I nevee knew you could do that with kale. Brilliant

[@secretgardenhomestead3251]

Great videos! Cheeky little voles! We have added owl boxes to our trees and have little owls now :) perfect pest control ! Much love Liz xx

[@blessildajoy]

6:15 I moved my compost uphill exactly for that reason.

[@christiegrows2022]

Barrowing that compost with that view behind just stunning

[@LizZorab]

It really is! Nothing feels like terribly hard work when there is such beautiful scenery all around us.

[@janicejurgensen2122]

No need to put it to bed! The compost goes on all my beds, plots and pots. I mulch and plant very many garlic seeds and replant in the late summer fall crops. Ty for sharing.

[@gardenextra7415]

Nice to see another one growing through the season. I have been skipping all of the putting your garden to bed videos.

[@LizZorab]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@stephenlaw1782]

Yep gardens are definitely an all year round thing Liz

[@LizZorab]

I've been out planting masses of allium bulbs in the orchard today. Hopefully it'll look fabulous next year.

[@maureenmckenna5220]

Living in NY or living in VA in the USA is quite different. Unless we get a rare snow storm, our average winter temps run about 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes colder, but the ground rarely freezes. We plant pansies and violas in October for winter blooming, and in spring they double in size. I can clean beds through the winter and cut back stuff that should be cut back deep into winter. Spring comes early, around late March and certainly by ea rly April.

[@LizZorab]

Sounds like we have very similar temperatures, although I think our climate is wetter than yours (more like Pacific North West). We have frosts during most winters and snow/freezing some winters.

[@BumblebeeAdventure]

So many tips again! Thanks so much for the video!

[@LizZorab]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Lythicam2024]

Mọi thứ tuyệt vời tôi rất thích xem video của bạn

[@CherrieMcKenzie]

Thank you so much for this video!! I was overjoyed to learn I can propagate my kale and that it will root and grow over winter. Again thank you and I am off to the garden!! haha

[@TanjaHermann]

I really tried gardening through winter but I REALLY hate working outside in cold, wet weather. So all I do in the early fall is sow some green manure/cover crops, stick in my seed onions and garlic, put on some compost in the empty raised beds with some cardboard on top - and then I go inside and hibernate until seed starting starts in February. 🙂

[@Catsrule7]

Exactly, I feel much the same, although this year I do have some brassicas and onions growing.

[@thelittlefarmersfarm5706]

Cool video Liz... 😁

[@LizZorab]

Thank you! 😁

[@liveswithgarden6566]

Thank you! Blessings

[@adysveggarden]

Hi Liz, you must have so many birds visit you growing areas with all the seed you leave on the plants.

[@LizZorab]

Yes I do! And hopefully over the years, there will be more and more wildlife as the gardens mature.

[@diannegriffith5444]

Thank you Liz.❤

[@LizZorab]

You are so welcome

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

Echinacea! That's one! Earlier today, I was thinking about the winter food source I am removing by cutting a lot of old spruce and fir. Wondering if there was an intermediate seed source I could grow wild.

[@LizZorab]

Sounds great! Echinacea grows quickly here!

[@ErnieCG]

Good video for learning

[@stevendowden2579]

nice video liz

[@LizZorab]

Thanks! 😄 Hopefully there will be another dry day this week and I'll be able to film next week's video too!

[@jpennturner]

My garden was shut down for me last month by five feet of muddy water sewage mix flowing across it, my raised beds, water barrels etc were all in the hedge and compost vanished. It still has not been dry enough to recover much!

[@LizZorab]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to read this, what a horrid experience! I've hit the like button for your comment, but I don't like that this has happened to you!

[@tracysmith5948]

Is now a good time to get rid of stinging nettles? Is there a good way that doesn’t include digging up the roots?

[@LizZorab]

Singing nettle roots will usually come away from the ground if you pull on the stems. A consistent gentle pull will lift the roots without them snapping. I think this is a great time of year of lift them, I pull them rather than digging as it is much easier to get all the roots attached to the main root this way.

[@tracyholmes9605]

Hi Liz. I wondered why not put your cardboard over the compost in the raised bed to protect it. Like you said you do the compost heap. I'm interested to see what you think? Thanks for the great video

[@tracyholmes9605]

Oops....you said later in the video you might do that. My mistake

[@LizZorab]

I haven't put compost on top of the raised bed as I have planted garlic in it and that would prevent the garlic getting any light to grow.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I'm in a "zone 3" (actually 4b but I hedge) and I wonder where I'll get if I power-dibble some Allium × proliferums into the hard-to-work ground here, water in with warm water, and then mulch over with leaves.

[@LizZorab]

Please let me know how that works out, it could be a great tip for gardeners next year if it works for you.